An Unheralded Anniversary

Ending the Iraq War Has Strengthened Overall U.S. National Security

This week marks the ninth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. Americans should pause to remember and honor the hundreds of thousands of brave men and women who served there, especially the 4,486 who died in the service of our country. Their service and sacrifices deserve recognition, no matter the controversies that continue to trouble the nation over the rationale, execution, and consequences of the war.

President Barack Obama came to office on a pledge to end the Iraq war, and his administration fulfilled that pledge—U.S. troops left the country last year rather than staying with an open-ended commitment that many had proposed. The redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq from 2008 to 2011 strengthened overall U.S. national security in five key ways:

Dedicated more resources to fight the Al Qaeda network

Restored U.S. military readiness

Expanded options to deal with other Middle East threats, including Iran and its nuclear program

Reduced the financial burden of the United States caused by war

Rebalanced overall U.S. national security strategy to deal with the real threats to our nation

Each of these achievements is worth reviewing this anniversary week.

Dedicated more resources to fight the Al Qaeda network

The redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq freed up more resources for the United States to focus on dealing with Al Qaeda and its affiliates around the world, particularly in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen. Since 2009 the United States has dealt devastating blows to the global Al Qaeda network, including taking Osama bin Laden and about two dozen other high-value targets off the battlefield.

Expanded options to deal with other Middle East threats, including Iran and its nuclear program

The Iraq redeployment expanded and strengthened U.S. policy options on a range of broader challenges in the Middle East, particularly Iran. From 2003 to 2008 U.S. troops became mired in Iraq’s multiple internal conflicts, hampering our military, diplomatic, and political capabilities to deal effectively with Iran’s nuclear program and its regional ambitions. During this period Iran achieved a rapid expansion of its regional influence.

Since 2009 Iran has seen its power and credibility throughout the region fade. The redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq increased America’s political, diplomatic, and military options for dealing with Iran. It also enabled the United States to become more deeply engaged in offering the right support for transitions in Libya, Yemen, Egypt, and Tunisia.

At the height of the Iraq war, the monthly costs for U.S. taxpayers exceeded $10 billion. The redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq reduced the overall financial burden for U.S. taxpayers— with $45 billion spent in the last full fiscal year U.S. troops were stationed there.

Rebalancing overall U.S. national security strategy to deal with the real threats to our nation

During the Iraq war the United States was not aligning its considerable resources to address the global threats and challenges our country faced in the world. The United States overinvested in Iraq to the detriment of dealing other global security challenges, including new global economic concerns, climate change, and nuclear proliferation.

The future of the United States and Iraq

At the end of 2011, the United States ended one phase of U.S. engagement in Iraq and started a new phase. This new phase involves continued diplomatic, economic, and security support to the Iraqi government. Iraqis continue to face considerable challenges and hardship, but now their leaders have a greater responsibility to address these problems.

The United States needed to end the Iraq war to rebalance its overall national security strategy, and it needs to remain engaged with Iraq to offer much needed support. We all honor those who served there knowing the Obama administration took the right step in fulfilling its commitment to end the Iraq war.